STEPHEN W. PLESS
Memorial Project

MAJOR
STEPHEN W. PLESS, USMC
Medal of Honor Recipient
1939-1969

Medal of Honor

Major Stephen W. Pless, USMC received the Medal of Honor for the rescue of three US Army soldiers just after they were overrun and captured by the Viet Cong on a beach near the village of My Lai, Vietnam on August 19, 1967.  His was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a Marine pilot in the entire Vietnam War.  Here you may read the details of the Medal of Honor action as described in the MOH Citation, the commanding officer's letter of recommendation, and the original eyewitness statements upon which the MOH recommendation was based. 

Three Navy Crosses

Pless's flight crew, Captain Rupert Fairfield, USMC, copilot, Lance Corporal John G. Phelps, USMC, crew chief, Gunnery Sergeant Leroy N. Poulson, USMC, door gunner, each received the Navy Cross for their heroic actions during the rescue of the captured soldiers. They are reputed to be the highest decorated crew for a single mission in the history of American aviation, tied with a World War II bomber crew.

Pless Flight Crew.  One Medal of Honor and three Navy Crosses.  From left Phelps, Pless, Fairfield and Poulson. (US Govt. Photo)

Memorial Project

Valor Remembered Foundation have resolved to honor and commemorate Stephen Pless and his flight crew by creating a memorial statue and a virtual memorial website that will bring their to present and future generations.

The Sculpture

The memorial will include a life-size bronze statue of Stephen Pless with supporting works representing his flight crew, survivors, and other mission participants. Life sized statues of the entire flight crew are envisioned, but the final scope and form of the memorial will depend upon the level of support realized and the restrictions imposed by the selected site and host community. Several sculptures, including life size busts of all four members of the flight crew, have already been developed  as “studies” for the memorial and may now be seen in the "Pless Collection" on the Valor Remembered website. 

Virtual Memorial

The project will include a “virtual memorial” in the form of an interactive website accessible on the Internet. Through the virtual memorial viewers may view the history of the mission and the men, leave personal remembrances related to the incident and its participants, tour of the memorial by viewing pictures of the actual memorial site, and add to history of the event. 

Memorial Site

Valor Remembered is currently seeking a suitable site for the memorial which will be positioned to be highly visible and accessible  so that thousands of Americans will experience the memorial over the coming decades.  Several world-class museums as well as Pless’s hometown of Newnan, Georgia are currently being considered, however it is premature to speculate about the final site pending negotiations with the controlling entities. 

 

Sculpture "UH1E Gunship Crew", clay study by Mark and Jenelle Byrd. MABS photo.